


hello my old heart

by buckysbears (DrZebra)



Series: home to heart [1]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Adora (She-Ra) Needs a Hug, Catra (She-Ra) Needs a Hug, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Platonic Cuddling, Some Humor, Touch-Starved, bow and glimmer are very good and patient friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:20:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24411214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrZebra/pseuds/buckysbears
Summary: "Plus, I- I don’t want her to think—” She tucked her face closer, mumbling.Bow patted her arm. “Come on, use your words.”A pause.“… I don’t want her to think I’m needy ...”There was a cough as Glimmer stifled a laugh. “Adora hasneeds.”“Shut up! That’s not what I—”“Hey! Hey.” Bow lowered his voice. “We know that’s not what you meant. Adora, it’s perfectly okay to want a hug from your girlfriend.”“Is it?” she asked, small, genuine.Catra is both touch-starved and touch-averse and it's turning into a real problem.
Relationships: Adora & Bow & Glimmer (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra)
Series: home to heart [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1772560
Comments: 194
Kudos: 2488





	hello my old heart

**Author's Note:**

> from an anonymous prompt on tumblr - thank you anon! 
> 
> thank you to agentcalliope and nightlocktime for looking over this for me!

It became obvious, after a few days, how little Catra touched her.

Adora didn’t really know what to expect. She’d never been in a relationship before, and had very few models of what one looked like. But, she imagined (hoped?) that it included a lot of touching. Not even- Not, like, _that_ kind of stuff, but … Hugs. Holding hands. She thought that, maybe, on the occasion she let her hair down, Catra might tuck it behind her ear. Was that silly? She felt silly even thinking it.

Maybe it was just because she’d become so used to Bow and Glimmer. Barely a conversation passed where they hadn’t nudged her shoulder, kissed her cheek, ruffled her hair. Adora couldn’t tell if _they_ were the weird ones, or if … if maybe, already, there was something wrong between her and Catra.

She noticed it the first time on a quiet day, one of the first quiet days they’d had in a long time. It was nice, it was needed, but it also gave Adora’s mind too much time to wander.

She was walking with Catra through the grounds of Bright Moon, taking stock of what the magic had changed, where the building was suffering, where they might need to coax the plants back or add extra support. It was idle, for them at least, and as they walked, they traded comments, little laughs.

It was quiet. It was nice.

Adora felt unsettled, though she didn’t know why.

She didn’t put her finger on it until Glimmer appeared in a flash of sparkles next to them. Catra yelped at the sudden intrusion, leaping away from them both.

Adora’s brow furrowed.

(She was supposed to leap _towards_ Adora, wasn’t she? Wasn’t that how it was meant to go?)

“Adora!” Glimmer yelled, obvious delight in her voice. “You are _not_ going to believe what just happened! Let’s walk, let me paint you a picture.”

The shorter girl bounded up and hooked an arm through Adora’s own. As she spoke, she rubbed her cheek against Adora’s shoulder, channeling her glee into the fond motion.

Catra stared, and Adora watched her back. There was a flush to her cheeks and an angry pinch to her eyebrows. Well, not angry, maybe. Frustrated.

Adora tilted her head, not really paying attention to Glimmer’s story. It didn’t seem as though Catra had even noticed her looking back, gaze pinned on Glimmer’s cheek and their joined arms.

After a moment, she flattened her ears and looked away.

As it often did, Adora’s mind began to race.

And for too long, it didn’t stop.

Catra’s stomach rumbled.

Adora laughed. “Hungry already? You about ate a whole boar for lunch.”

“Shut up,” Catra grumbled. “The food here is really good, okay? I’m not used to it.”

“Hey, as long as you stop hiding snacks in our room. It was starting to smell before I threw them out.”

Catra looked away, embarrassed. Adora thought that maybe it was the wrong thing to say.

She cleared her throat.

“I bet they’re doing potatoes with that cream sauce again.” 

“Ugh.” Catra grabbed at her stomach. “That made me so sick last time.”

“Only because you were practically drinking it out of the bowl.”

“They shouldn’t have served it in such a big container!”

“It was for the _whole table_ , Catra. There were like twelve people there.”

Catra snickered. “I mean, I’m going to do it again. But how ‘bout this—if I beat you there, I _won’t_ throw up on your shoes this time.”

Adora could barely get out the “Deal” before Catra was kicking at her legs and sprinting away. She tripped a little, laughing, and dashed after her.

Catra had always been more dexterous, but her time as She-ra had made Adora _strong_. Plus, she knew Bright Moon better. It wasn’t long before Adora caught up.

She knocked her shoulder against Catra’s, and they laughed as they slowed to a walk. With a hint of a blush, she slipped her fingers through Catra’s own.

The laughter stopped.

She was hopefully imagining the way the other girl stiffened, but she didn’t think that she was. Her hunch was all but confirmed when Catra’s hand fell away from hers as they rounded the corner to the dining room.

So, maybe something _was_ wrong. Maybe Adora hadn’t been worrying for nothing after all. 

Catra was on the balcony, leaning against the railing. Melog was at her feet, perhaps tired of the stars and grateful only for the company.

Adora watched her from behind as Catra watched the sky, tail flicking in a lazy motion.

 _Come on, Adora_ , she thought, brows furrowed. _You’re making a big deal out of this. You probably misread the situation. You can totally do this. It’s fine_.

And then, perhaps against her better judgement, she walked up and slipped her arms around Catra’s waist.

She was going to say something cute, or cool, or funny. Something like she imagined a girlfriend would say. She hadn’t really thought that far ahead, too focused on her internal monologue, but she never got the chance to, anyway.

Catra flinched fiercely out of her arms, hissing. Adora stumbled back a few steps as Catra spun with claws outstretched. Melog quickly morphed—red, angry, jagged.

They stared at each other dumbly.

Catra’s hands fell.

“I—” The fear on her face flashed to surprise, then guilt. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know it was- I didn’t mean to—”

“It’s okay!” Adora’s hands wove quickly in front of her. “I startled you, I’m sorry! I- I shouldn’t have—”

“No, it’s—”

“I _totally_ get it, it’s—”

“I just don’t really—”

They both stopped, staring.

Adora cleared her throat and looked away. “I think I’m going to go say goodnight to Bow and Glimmer.”

“Oh.” Catra’s hands rose to grip her own arms. Even from where Adora was standing, she could see the claws dig in, just a little. “That’s, um. Yeah, that’s fine. I think I’m going to go to bed.”

Adora nodded, looking at the ground. “Okay. Well, um … Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

For a moment, she didn’t move. Her eyes glanced towards Melog, who was passive, just watching. Their mane was still red and jagged.

“Goodnight,” she said again.

And she fled.

Adora barged into the room, the door slamming behind her, and didn’t process Bow’s little shriek or the way Glimmer immediately pulled the covers up around herself. She didn’t really question that they were in bed together in the first place, because she only had one thing on her mind, and that’s what she did.

She quickly climbed up into the bed, bracketed her knees around Glimmer’s own, and fell face-down on top of her.

She paid little mind to the whoosh of air that left Glimmer’s chest.

” _Glimmerrrrr_ ,” she whined, head buried in the side of the other girl’s neck. “I need a hug.”

“Okay,” Glimmer said, clearly trying to catch her breath after the force of Adora’s body had forced it out. “Okay, big girl, I got ya.”

Adora felt Glimmer’s head move, then rustling of blankets closer to Bow.

“It’s Catra,” she sighed. Arms wrapped around her back. “I don’t know what’s wrong with her. She won’t really let me touch her? We’re _together_ now—that’s what together people do, isn’t it? She’ll barely let me hold her hand without jumping out of her own skin. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.”

“I don’t think it’s you, Adora,” Glimmer said, turning back to push her cheek against Adora’s head. “She just needs time.”

Adora groaned, low and frustrated, as Bow started to speak. Briefly, his voice was muffled, as if by cloth.

“You were the exact same way when you first came here, if you remember. Thought you were going to have a heart attack every time someone gave you a hug. I’m sure she wants it, too, but it wasn’t that long ago she was with the Horde. You two were enemies for a long time. I’m sure it’s just hard for her to adjust.”

Adora curled closer, muffled by Glimmer’s shoulder. “Do you think she doesn’t trust me?”

“Hey,” Glimmer murmured, squeezing her, “don’t think like that. Everything that’s happened would be really overwhelming to anyone, especially someone with Catra’s history. Bright Moon can be a lot. Our friends can be a lot. You’ve been here for a while—she hasn’t. I really don’t think it’s you, Adora. I think she needs a little bit of breathing room to realize that she’s safe and cared for before she’s able to let her guard down and relax a little bit. She doesn’t show it, but I’m sure she’s just scared. Let her know you’re there for her, but maybe don’t push things for a while. She just needs time.”

Adora was quiet. She knew—hoped—Glimmer was right. The antsy, nervous part of her wanted to spiral, to blame herself like she did with everything else and self-implode. But … Yeah. She just needed time. Some breathing room. Adora could do that, right? She could give her that. It would be hard, but she’d make the effort. And in the meantime, she had Glimmer and Bow, and all her friends.

Speaking of …

Adora forced her lips not to curl into an awkward smile.

“You’re, uh. You’re not wearing a shirt.”

“I’m not,” Glimmer agreed.

“You two were …”

“We were.”

“Sorry,” Adora mumbled, face heating.

“It’s alright,” Bow chuckled. He rested a hand on her back, soothing and warm. “Best Friend Squad comes first, right?”

Glimmer nodded, pulling Adora closer. “Right.”

Adora sighed, teary. “I love you guys so much.”

“We’ve got your back,” Bow said. “Always.”

So, Adora tried to leave her alone. Not _alone_ , alone, but … she stopped trying to hug her, hold her hand, touch her shoulder. She let Catra initiate kissing and didn’t steer it further when they did. It was _hard_. Adora wanted to grab her up, mold their bodies together, and never let go. But Catra needed time to adjust. She needed to feel safe. So, Adora would be patient.

(That had never been her strong suit.)

It was hard on days where she would catch Catra looking. Sometimes they’d be sitting and having dinner, often in a group, but sometimes just the two of them, and Catra’s slit pupils would follow Adora’s hands every time she brought the silverware to her mouth. Sometimes Catra would watch her from the windowsill as Adora got ready for bed, and the girl would be rubbing her own hand across the back of her neck, up into her short hair, scratching with her own nails but staring at Adora.

Sometimes they’d be in bed. Catra had stopped lying at her feet, but somehow that was worse. At least Adora would have had that pressure, the steady presence across her legs and ankles, reminding her the other girl was there. Though Catra was closer, it felt like there was a chasm between them, like she could reach and reach and never make contact.

Catra would curl around herself, arms hugging her stomach, legs pulled up tight, tail marking her space on the bed like a parenthesis. Her breath would tremble and her shoulders would shiver, and on those nights, Adora didn’t sleep. She wanted to pull Catra to her chest, mold them flush, and never, ever let go. She wanted to wrap herself around so tight they might as well have been one creature, and whisper _I’ve got you, I’ve got you, I’ve got you_ into her ear until the rest of the world faded to nothing.

But she didn’t.

Patience wasn’t something Adora was born with. Days like that, nights like that, were _hard_. Adora had fought battles, saved the universe, but giving Catra space was maybe the hardest thing she’d ever done. But she would. She’d give her all the space and time she needed, because she _loved_ her, and that meant something. It gave her the strength she needed to get through.

(Catra loved her back. She’d have given anything in the world just to hear her say it one more time.)

And sometimes Adora was the one who was caught looking.

It was morning, but not too early. Adora was always the first out of bed. Catra had always been a late sleeper, even in the Horde, merely one of the things that got her in trouble when they were younger. Adora was seated at her desk, looking over reconstruction plans, when Catra finally rolled out of bed, hair tussled and with a yawn on her face.

She groaned as she stretched, and Adora couldn’t help but stare. She leaned to one side, then the other. She reached down and laid her palms flat against the ground (honestly, how did she _do_ that?) and then rose her hands high into the air. Her shirt rode up as she did so, giving Adora’s gaze perfect access to the taught muscles on her stomach.

Catra finished her stretch, but Adora didn’t stop staring. The other girl smirked as she caught her eye.

Adora quickly looked away. Her heart was pounding in a worrisome rhythm and she knew— _knew—_ her face was beet red.

Catra’s claws clacked on the ground as she strolled over, hips swaying.

(She was eating this up. Adora was never going to live this down.)

“What?” Catra purred. “You thought that was for you?”

She leaned down, pressing a kiss to the corner of Adora’s mouth.

That was it. Just the moment of contact, and then she was gone, sauntering towards the bathroom. Adora’s face felt so hot she thought she might start sweating, her collar too tight around her neck, her chest like a war drum. She took a deep breath, but that just made everything sharper.

Stars, she was going to explode.

She stood up, marched halfway across the room and … dunked her head right under the waterfall.

Was Catra going to make fun of her? Oh, _absolutely_. Did she care at the moment? Absolutely not.

Being patient was going to kill her.

“Glimmer!” Adora yelled, marching into the library. Bow was absently picking through the shelves, and Glimmer was sitting on the couch, painting her toenails. “Oh—there you are! I’ve been looking everywhere.”

“What’s up?” she intoned flatly, mostly focused on applying an even coat.

“It’s Catra!” Adora wailed, flopping down onto the other cushion. Glimmer yelped and caught her bottle of polish. “She’s driving me _crazy._ ”

“Huge shock,” Glimmer mumbled.

Adora threw her head back and groaned. “Glimmer, I need a hug.”

“I’m painting my nails, Adora. You’re going to smudge them.”

“ _Bow!_ ” Adora called.

Books dropped. There was the shuffle of feet.

“I was called?”

Adora held her arms out with a pout.

“Teddy bear.”

Bow laughed, but dutifully let himself be pulled onto her lap. She wrapped her arms around his warm stomach and buried her face in his shoulder.

“I’m _trying_ to be patient,” she wailed. “I want her to be comfortable, I do! But I’m _not a patient person and I think I’m literally dying_.”

“So dramatic,” Glimmer snickered.

“Have you tried just … I don’t know.” Bow shrugged a little. “Talking to her?”

Adora snorted, an ugly, almost resentful sound. “Just … Just _talk?_ To _Catra?_ You can’t just talk to Catra—everything’s a game with her. I’d never get a straight answer.”

There was a pause.

“Catra is changing, Adora,” Glimmer said softly. “I thought you of all people would be able to see that.”

Adora swallowed. “I … I do. She’s making progress, and I recognize that. I’m proud of her, I am. But … you guys don’t know Catra like I do. We have so much history. If I just call her out on this, she’s going to panic and get defensive, and I don’t want to do that. And I don’t want it to seem like I’m only focusing on the negatives. Plus, I- I don’t want her to think—” She tucked her face closer, mumbling.

Bow patted her arm. “Come on, use your words.”

A pause.

“… I don’t want her to think I’m needy ...”

There was a cough as Glimmer stifled a laugh. “Adora has _needs_.”

“Shut up! That’s not what I—”

“Hey! Hey.” Bow lowered his voice. “We know that’s not what you meant. Adora, it’s perfectly okay to want a hug from your girlfriend.”

“Is it?” she asked, small, genuine.

“Of course. I know things were different when you were growing up, but wanting to be close isn’t a bad thing. It’s perfectly healthy. And—and, I mean, I don’t know a lot about this, but—you two probably have a lot of catching up to do. Not with the talking, I mean, but, like … I’m assuming you didn’t get a lot of hugs in the Horde?”

Adora shook her head.

“Right. So, you know. Now that you have that opportunity, I think you’re really craving that physical intimacy. Honestly, she probably is, too. But do you remember how scared you were when you first got here? You were completely out of your comfort zone, you told me it didn’t even feel real sometimes. And that was—and I mean this in the kindest way—after having Catra with you just before. I promise I’m not saying this to be mean, and you know I understand, but … You and Catra were each other’s safe place. And you left. You found us, but … she was in a bad situation by herself for a long time. If you were shaken up and scared when you first got here, can you imagine how she’s feeling?”

Tears pricked at the corner of Adora’s eyes. She took a shaky breath, squeezing Bow around his middle. “Yeah. No, I get it.”

“Bow’s right, Adora. We can all be there for Catra as much as we can, we can accommodate and support her, but … part of this, she has to do by herself. And accepting that she’s safe is one of those things. Catra’s had her trust broken a lot. It’s going to take time—and effort, on all our parts—for her to really accept that it’s not going to happen again. Not to brag, but you have a really great support system. And we want to help Catra too, but she has to learn that she can lean on people. It’ll take a while before she really accepts the floor isn’t about to fall out from under her feet.”

“I know. I just wish—” She took a breath, shaky and wet. “I just wish she trusted _me_.”

There was quiet as Adora didn’t finish her thought, as, she assumed, they were all thinking what she didn’t say.

 _I wish she trusted me, but she doesn’t, because I left. She’s waiting for me to do it again_.

“Adora …” Bow mumbled.

“Yeah. Yeah, I just—” She extracted an arm to wipe at her eyes. “This is just hard. I know it’s worse for her. I can put myself in her shoes, and it- it makes me _so sad_ , but … I thought we were going to get our happily ever after, you know? I thought that … I just didn’t expect it to be like this.”

“You’ll get it,” Glitter said, quiet. “But the story’s not over yet.”

Adora nodded.

“I really hate to ruin the moment,” Bow chimed in, too high pitched, “but my back is _so_ cold—did you, like, _just_ get out of the shower?”

Adora flushed.

“Please don’t ask.”

“You seem weird tonight,” Catra said, back in their room later that day. “Usually you rant while you’re pacing, but you’ve been really quiet.”

Adora, true to form, continued to pace.

“I’m sorry. I- I’m _sorry_ , I’m trying to be good, I just- Ugh!”

“Did I do something?” Catra asked, voice growing smaller.

“No! It’s just- Well … I don’t know.”

“You don’t … know … if I did something?”

Adora stopped, grinding her hands into her forehead. “It’s not that you _did_ something, it’s more … what you _didn’t_ do? Don’t do? It’s really not you, you haven’t done anything wrong, I’m trying to be good, I just—” She dropped her hands, looking to Catra with her arms outstretched. “We can agree I’m not a patient person, right? Like, that’s a- We can establish that as a character trait.”

Eyebrows drawn, Catra nodded.

“And- And I know Bow says I’m smart, but … Well, compared to some people I’m _not_ , and- and when I am, I’m not smart _all_ the time, which is like … It’s _okay_ , I have other strengths, I know I do, it just gets frustrating sometimes? I don’t always know what to do or say, and sometimes I get a little panicked, and I do the _wrong_ thing and it makes everything worse.”

“Are you, like—” Catra’s ears twisted outward. She looked small against the pillows on the bed. “Are you having a breakdown? Should I get someone?”

“No. I … No, I’m not. I’m sorry.” She sighed, smoothing out the crease between her eyebrows with her fingers. “Can I … sit with you?”

After a moment, Catra nodded.

Adora rounded the bed and sat on the other side, far enough away that, she hoped, Catra wouldn’t be uncomfortable. She pulled her knees against her chest, tucking her face behind her arms.

“I think I’m freaking out a little bit,” she admitted.

“Is it … about something specific?”

Catra was clearly out of her depth with this conversation, but Adora appreciated that she was trying.

“Yeah. I’m trying to be good, I just—”

“You keep saying that,” Catra cut her off. “I don’t know what that means.”

“I’m trying to be …” She swallowed. “Understanding? Patient? I’m trying to see things from your point of view, and I’m just trying not to get frustrated.”

“So I did do something.”

“No! No, it’s …” She sighed, warm breath blowing across the skin of her arms. “It’s me. I think my expectations of this were just a little different, and I’m trying to adjust for that.”

She felt Catra shrink away, and finally glanced over at her.

Catra had her arms wrapped around herself, nails digging into her arms. She was looking away, ears flat. She was upset, obviously, but when her words escaped, they sounded angry.

“I’m sorry I’m not what you expected.”

“Don’t take it like that,” Adora said. “Catra, please understand that I’m not trying to blame you.”

“That’s what it sounds like.”

Adora took a moment to ground herself. If she got defensive, this was all going to go to shit.

“Can I ask you a question? Like, a genuine question, not meant with any malice at all, just trying to understand.”

After a moment, Catra shrugged. “Fine.”

“Why won’t you let me touch you?”

Catra stiffened. Adora could see the fur on the back of her neck rise a little.

“I promise I’m not … I’m not mad or anything. I just thought … you know. You’re my girlfriend, now. And I don’t completely know everything that entails, but I thought it … That I’d get to hold your hand, and hug you, and … Is it me? Is there something I’m doing wrong? If you don’t want that stuff, that’s … that’s fine, I’ll adjust, but … Can we at least talk about it? Because I’m trying to give you space, everyone keeps saying you just need space, but it doesn’t seem like anything is getting better and not talking about it is driving me up the wall.”

There was quiet as Catra stared away from her, hands gripping her arms so tight Adora thought it might leave bruises. Her instinct said to reach out and lay a hand on her shoulder, but even she knew that was the wrong move. She wondered if she’d made a horrible misstep by bringing this up, if she’d pushed her too far … If she’d pushed her away. But it’d been weeks, and things weren’t getting any better. She had to know.

“Catra? Please, say something.”

Melog rumbled warily from their bed in the corner, mottled red and blue.

“If … If you give me an answer, and you say this isn’t what you want, then … then I’ll drop it. I’ll never bring it up again. I just … Please. I have to know.”

Catra trembled.

“Do you think I … don’t want that?” she asked. “That I don’t want all that too?”

“It seems that way.”

“I _do_. I do, I just …”

She trailed off, hugging herself tighter.

“I’m here,” Adora said. “I’m listening.”

“I feel like,” Catra started, and it was easy to tell from her voice that she’d started to cry, “I feel like, and it’s so _stupid_ , but … I _do_ want all that. I want it so much. So much it hurts. Sometimes I just lie in bed and I shake with how much I want to be lying in your arms.”

“Why don’t you, then?” Adora breathed.

“It’s _stupid_ ,” Catra said again. “It’s so _dumb_ , I can’t even say it.”

“Catra, please. Whatever it is, you can tell me.”

Catra sniffled, leaning down to wipe her nose on her shoulder. “I feel like we’re going to get caught,” she mumbled. “And I know that doesn’t make sense. But there’s this voice in my head, and it keeps yelling at me that this is _bad_ , that we’re going to get in trouble, that … that someone is going to punish us. And I know no one will! I know we’re safe here, and that’s why it’s stupid. But every time, I just hear that voice, and I start to panic. And I … I start to panic, because … because it feels really good, too. Like _so_ good. And I- I don’t want to …”

Adora blinked away tears.

“Don’t want to what?”

“Don’t want to get too attached,” Catra admitted softly.

“Catra …”

“You can tell me different all you like. But I keep expecting you to change your mind. I keep waiting for you to realize that I was never good enough for you after all, and you leave, or- or kick me out. Or maybe I wake up, and I’m back in the Horde, and you’re gone, and my whole world is falling apart again. You _left_ , Adora. And I know why. I get it. But you did. And maybe, despite everything, I’m still terrified you’re going to do it again.”

Adora’s lips pulled taught, twisting as tears rolled down her cheeks. “I’m sorry—”

“Don’t—” Catra finally turned to her, wiping away her own with her arm. “I don’t want you to be sorry, you big idiot. I’m just telling you how I feel.”

“I don’t know how to make you feel safe, Catra,” Adora admitted. “That’s all I want, more than anything. I just want you to know that this is never going to go away. We’re safe, and we’re together, and if I have anything to say about it, that’s never going to change. I … I don’t regret that I left. I don’t know what would’ve happened if I didn’t. The war would still be going on, and we’d be stuck there getting worse and worse every day. Maybe we wouldn’t even be here at all. But, Catra …” She wiped her face, hiccupping. “I love you with my whole heart. You’re all I ever wanted. I never wanted to be She-ra, I didn’t want to fight a war. All I wanted was you. That’s it. And I don’t know if there’s anything I can ever say that will convince you of that. But … That’s what I’m trying to say. If you’ll have me, you have me forever.”

Catra stared at her, lips trembling, brows pinched. She looked like she was trying to believe her, with everything she had. She blinked, sending tears spilling down her cheeks. She looked away.

“I’m just scared, Adora. And I don’t know if I ever won’t be.”

“I don’t know what I can do to earn your trust back. If it means waking up with you every day for the rest of our lives, that’s what I’ll do.”

A wet chuckle rolled from her lips.

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

Catra took a long breath, and in the corner, Melog laid down their head. They were a placid, rolling blue.

“I think I want to give you a hug,” Catra said, “if that’s okay.”

Adora sobbed a little, nodding.

She uncurled and held out her arms, and it was a moment before Catra moved towards her. She was surprised when Catra moved to sit atop her legs, knees bracketing her hips. She stared down at Adora before she settled in her lap, their chests coming together.

Adora didn’t move her arms until Catra’s own snaked around her back.

Adora hugged her, but not too tight.

“Is this okay?” she asked, quiet.

Catra breathed and pushed a little closer, and Adora could feel across her whole torso how she trembled. The other girl tucked her face in the crook of Adora’s neck, hands curling in the fabric of her shirt.

“Tighter,” Catra mumbled, choked. “Please, I need—”

Adora squeezed her tighter.

It wasn’t long until Catra’s cries turned louder, rolling sobs that she muffled into Adora’s neck. Her chest jumped, but she clung back fiercely, clinging so tight that Adora struggled to breathe. She clung and shook apart, tears hot against Adora’s skin, sobs growing louder and more pained.

Adora held her. She didn’t know what else to do.

“I’ve got you,” she said, because finally, finally, she did. “I’ve got you. I’m not letting you go.”

One of Catra’s arms was around her waist, the other held between her shoulderblades, pulling them together as tight as they could get. If you weren’t looking close enough, you might not have been able to tell where one of them started and the other stopped.

“I’ve got you. I promise.”

And she did.

For once, Adora slept in.

She woke with a groggy head and an empty pull in her stomach. She didn’t think she’d slept that much in … months? Years, maybe. From the way the room was lit, from the sound of the birds outside, it must have been at least noon. People were probably worried. Adora would have been, too.

Something shifted against her arm, and she almost startled. She looked down, only to see Catra’s furry ears and her mess of hair.

“S’not time to get up yet,” she mumbled. Her head was pillowed on Adora’s arm, their legs tangled together. “’V got at least … mm … ‘nother hour.”

Adora huffed a laugh, an achingly fond smile pulling at her lips. “You’re a terrible influence. You’re not hungry?”

Catra mumbled, pushing closer. “Am. Don’t care.”

“Fine. Another hour.”

She tried to keep the joy out of her voice, but she’d never been any good at it.

Catra hummed in contentment, her sigh rolling up against Adora’s neck.

Adora let her eyes fall closed as she pushed a kiss into the other girl’s hair. Her free hand came up, paused for a second, and then lowered to rub against the back of Catra’s ear.

Catra stiffened.

“Is this okay?” Adora asked.

She could feel Catra relax on an exhale. She swallowed.

“Yeah. It’s okay.”

She let her fingers continue to rub, occasionally bringing her nails to gently scratch through her short fur. Catra’s ear twitched a little, and Adora adjusted so she wasn’t tickling. After a while, she moved her hand to run through her hair, scratching down the back of her neck.

Catra shivered.

“Still good?”

“Yeah,” she breathed. “Yeah, I am.”

They stayed in bed longer than they should have. If it was up to them, they would have stayed like that forever. But eventually, hunger called (and even louder, Glimmer), but they parted content to know that that was just the beginning. There’d be other days. There would be hugs, and held hands, there’d be legs tangled under the covers. There’d be stolen kisses, and ear rubs, and nights where they slept like parentheses. Sometimes it was scary, but that was okay. They had all the time in the world, and they weren’t going anywhere. All they had to do was trust. 

**Author's Note:**

> still taking prompts on tumblr @ buckysbears !
> 
> [edit] based on comments, it seems some people are interested in a continuation of this fic. if you'd like to see more after this, please let me know in the comments! would love to gauge interest


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